A new railway signalling system being trialled in the UK could be vulnerable to a cyber attack which could cause a train crash, a government adviser has warned

Professor David Stupples told the BBC the European Rail Traffic Management System, a new digital system aimed to make lines safer, could be exposed to malicious software, or malware, used to cause a “nasty accident”.

The internet security expert at City University said government ministers feared the possible threat of hacking and the biggest could come from an insider.

“It’s the clever malware that actually alters the way the train will respond. So, it will perhaps tell the system the train is slowing down, when it’s speeding up,” he said.read more